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Guide to Port Stephens

With great surf breaks, amazing diving opportunities and myriad beaches, a holiday in Port Stephens is all about sea and sand.

By Jennifer Ennion

Slide down sand dunes, swim with dolphins and learn to surf – Port Stephens, in New South Wales, is an aquatic playground with an impressive 26 beaches. Adventurous travellers will thrive on the opportunity to scuba dive with grey nurse sharks, go horse riding beside crashing waves and tackle a challenging coastal hike. Families will love snorkelling in the gentle bays, swimming with wild dolphins and searching for koalas. There really is something for everyone.

HOW TO GET THERE

Port Stephens is a 2½ hour drive north of Sydney and an hour north of Newcastle. Newcastle Airport is 25 minutes away and is serviced by a handful of domestic airlines.

DON'T MISS

Search for koalas in Tilligerry Habitat Reserve

Learn to surf at One Mile Beach

Scuba dive with sharks off Broughton Island

Port Stephens highlights

TOP THINGS TO DO IN PORT STEPHENS

Kick back on the beach

As one of the most popular coastal regions in New South Wales, there are plenty of beaches to explore in Port Stephens. Among the most stunning is windswept Zenith Beach, somewhat hidden behind the more well-known and family-friendly Shoal Bay. Experienced surfers are attracted to the wild waves at Zenith, as well as Wreck, Box and Samurai beaches. There are plenty of beaches for families, too, such as One Mile Beach, Fingal Bay and Birubi Beach. You can hire a surfboard or stand-up paddleboard from Port Stephens Surf School, or sign up for a surfing lesson. Other seaside activities include sunset camel rides, horse riding in Anna Bay, and sandboarding down Stockton Bight sand dunes.

Say hello to the marine life

Swimming with dolphins is a major attraction in Port Stephens, with more than 140 bottlenose dolphins living in the area. There are a number of companies offering dolphin, as well as whale-watching, cruises including Moonshadow-TQC Cruises and Imagine Cruises. The best time to see migrating humpback whales is between May and November. Port Stephens also has great scuba diving sites suitable for all experience levels. If you're adventurous, dive with a grey nurse shark colony off Broughton Island, or, if you prefer to stay close to shore, dive among small colonies of nudibranchs and seahorses.

Look for wild koalas

One of the best places to see a koala in the wild is at Tilligerry Habitat Reserve, at Tanilba Bay. Koalas are known to feed and rest in the reserve, where eucalypts tower over native flannel flowers, banksia trees and yellow wattle. Other wildlife you can expect to see are black cockatoos, tawny frogmouths, bearded dragons and lace monitors. Pick up a guide to some of the plant life and birds from the information centre, and either go for a self-guided walk along the raised timber boardwalk or join a guided interpretive tour (1½ to 2 hours).

Eating out

The location doesn't get much better than at Crest Birubi Beach at Anna Bay, a modern café that sits on a grassy headland with beautiful views of Birubi Beach. Surfers parade past as you join locals dining on freshly caught seafood. In Nelson Bay, considered the hub of the Port Stephens region, there is a great range of dining choices in town and at the marina. For fine dining head to the waterfront restaurant Little Beach Boathouse, or for a mix of seafood and classic pub fare book a table at Mavericks on the Bay, at the marina.

Hike Mount Tomaree

It's a steep hike to the top of Mount Tomaree, in Tomaree National Park, but well worth the effort for the views of Port Stephens alone. Tomaree Head Summit Walk is only one kilometre (0.62 miles) each way, but it is a challenging trail so allow up to two hours return. You will find the trailhead at Zenith Beach carpark. Don't forget to take a camera and binoculars – the summit is an ideal spot to watch migrating humpback whales between May and October.

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